Treating Wheezing in Children With Hypertonic Saline (TWICS)

Hypothesis: substitution of nebulized 3% NaCl (HS) for the standard normal saline (NS) used in bronchodilator therapy for acute viral wheezing in all children under age 6 years will provide superior symptom relief leading to decreased admission rates from the Emergency Department. The study will test the efficacy of frequent doses of inhaled bronchodilator co-administered with either 3% hypertonic saline (HS, study group) or 0.9% normal saline (NS, control group) in a prospective, double blind, randomized controlled, multi-centre clinical trial of children under age 6 years presenting to the ED with acute viral-associated wheezing.